The Cradle Files

by Delores Fossen

  Yes, and Lexie couldn't discount the possibility that this nurse might be behind the illegal adoptions. Except she had given them a vital piece of information that had ultimately led to the baby's rescue. "Thank you for telling us about Dr. Darnell."

  "I wish I could have done more, but Dr. Darnell covered his tracks."

  Not entirely. Lexie thought of the box of files at the safe house. The P.I. and his staff had been able to find them, and each file potentially represented a baby who'd been stolen.

  "I want to warn you about Dr. Blake." Alicia lowered her voice to a whisper. She glanced over her shoulder. "Dr. Darnell must have had someone helping him, and I believe that person is Dr. Linnay Blake."

  "You've told this to the investigating officer?" Garrett immediately asked.

  The flush on her cheeks deepened. "No. My attorney says I should keep quiet."

  "Reconsider that." Garrett made it sound like a demand rather than a request. "If you're truly innocent, then telling the truth will only exonerate you. And it'll put the guilty people out of commission so they can't steal anyone else's baby."

  Alicia nodded, though she appeared uncertain. Lexie had no idea if the woman would pass on any information to the investigator or not. She also had no idea if the information would be the least bit useful. After all, the cops already suspected Dr. Blake, and the doctor had the means and opportunity. Motive, too, since the illegal adoptions were bringing in lots of cash.

  "You'll want to return to the waiting room," Brayden advised the nurse. It wasn't really a suggestion. He turned and put his hand on Lexie's shoulder to get her moving into the observation room.

  "You don't trust her?" Lexie asked.

  "No." Brayden and Garrett answered in unison. It was Garrett who continued. "She could have pointed the finger at Darnell and Linnay Blake only to throw suspicion off herself."

  That was true. But Dr. Blake could have done the same. Of course, maybe both were innocent. Hopefully, the truth would soon come out.

  Lexie held her sleeping daughter against her chest and stared at the officer and the woman in the interrogation room. Just seeing the nanny brought back a flurry of bad memories. And anger. After all, the woman had pointed a gun at the baby. Lexie would never forget, or forgive, that.

  "The nanny's name is Belinda McAllister," Brayden murmured "The doctor examined her and has given her an all-clear to be interviewed." He pressed an intercom button on the wall and instructed the officer to proceed.

  The preliminaries took a few moments—the officer recording the nanny saying that she was voluntarily giving this information so she would be considered a cooperative witness. The woman eagerly nodded after each sentence.

  "Enough," she said. "Let's just get this done. The man I work for is Irving Kent."

  * * *

  "WE'VE ARRESTED KENT, the nanny and the guards," Brayden explained.

  Garrett wasn't surprised about that. He knew his brother would come through for him. He turned on the speaker phone so he could continue to listen to Brayden while going through the bags of supplies that had been delivered to the safe house. It wasn't that what Brayden was saying wasn't important. It was. But Lexie was feeding the baby and was in need of a bib. Garrett was in need of a shirt. He'd finished his shower minutes earlier and had located clean jeans. But no boxers. And no shirt.

  "Is Kent talking?" Garrett asked.

  "He's denying any involvement."

  That wasn't a surprise, either. Garrett hadn't expected a lawyer to start spilling his guts on the testimony of one witness. Not without some kind of deal on the table, and that wasn't going to happen. Brayden had already promised there'd be no deals for Irving Kent.

  Garrett rummaged through another bag. "Do you happen to remember which bag the baby's bibs, my shirts and my underwear are in?"

  "Not a clue," Brayden answered. "I asked Katelyn to pick up the stuff."

  He wanted to groan. Katelyn was the one member of the O'Malley clan with a bent sense of humor. Heaven knew what she'd put in the bags. Garrett gave up all hope of finding boxers.

  He went through another bag and nearly cheered when he located a bib, a little pink swatch of terry cloth with stitching that said Daddy's Little Diva. In fact, everything in the bag was pink.

  Except for a package of condoms.

  He didn't know whether to thank Katelyn or threaten to smother her. He might do both. Especially since he was going to be walking around without underwear and a clean shirt. Fortunately, his sister had done all right with Lexie.

  Well, sort of.

  Thanks to Katelyn, Lexie was wearing a loose, peach-colored cotton dress that hit just above her knee and managed to skim every curve of her body. She certainly didn't look as if she'd given birth merely a month earlier. Man, she had some legs. Long, lean.

  And distracting.

  "Back to Kent," Garrett snarled. He stuffed the condoms deeper into the bag and went back across the room to put the bib around the baby's neck. Lexie was on the bed, infant in her arms, and their daughter was doing a good job of draining her bottle while she made the occasional slurping sound. "Do you plan to interrogate Kent yourself?" he asked Brayden.

  "No. I'll send in Katelyn. But even that might not work. Kent has friends in high places. It's my guess that he'll take the fifth and make bail before morning."

  That was not what Garrett wanted to hear. Still, the safe house was, well, safe, and even if Lexie and he had to stay there for days, at least he was with the very people he wanted to be with. Wanted to protect.

  "If Kent makes bail, we can keep a close watch on him," Brayden explained. "But there isn't much we can do if he has hired guns. Kent doesn't know where the safe house is, so as long as you stay put, you should be okay." With that warning, Brayden said goodbye and hung up.

  "This isn't over," Lexie mumbled.

  No. It wasn't. In some ways, it'd just begun.

  Still, that wasn't something Garrett wanted to dwell on. He'd done all he could to protect them. They were at a safe house with a police guard parked out front. Garrett was armed. Lexie's gun was nearby. And they'd locked every window, every door. It wasn't exactly a fortress, but it was the best they could do.

  Lexie finished feeding the baby her bottle, and set it aside so she could put the infant on her shoulder and burp her.

  "You look like you know what you're doing," he commented, observing the process. Burping shouldn't have been such an enthralling subject, but it certainly seemed to capture his attention.

  Lexie flexed her eyebrows. "Not really. I'm just doing what I've heard other people say they do."

  "Good thing, too. Babies barf if they're not burped."

  As if on cue, their little girl delivered a rather impressive burp that had them both chuckling.

  Man, they were so smitten.

  And since when had he thought of words like smitten?

  They were obviously in deep trouble, but trouble had never felt this good. This right.

  Lexie eased off the bed and, evidently trying not to make a sound, deposited the baby in the nearby bassinet. It was waist-high, freestanding and draped in white eyelet lace. Very appropriate bedding for Daddy's Little Diva.

  "We need a name," Garrett said softly. "Brayden was serious about that Bodelia stuff. My family's really big on suggestions. Not necessarily good suggestions, either."

  Lexie turned, looked at him. "Is this your way of taking my mind off the fact that Irving Kent will soon be a free man?"

  She knew him too well. "Yeah. Is it working?"

  "No. But at least Kent has no idea where we are." She gave a weary sigh and sat back on the bed. "Any luck finding your underwear?"

  And she said it with a straight face, too.

  "No, because I'm sure Katelyn didn't pack any. No shirt, either. But she did include an enormous box of condoms."

  He waited for Lexie to laugh or make some witty comment about that. But she didn't. She just moistened her lips and then checked to make sure the bab
y was asleep. She was.

  "What are you thinking?" Garrett asked. But he wasn't really looking for an answer. That sexy peach dress, Lexie's hot legs, a sleeping baby and condoms. Those things, coupled with the look in Lexie's eyes, were the best answers.

  She reached out, touched her fingers to his chest. "I can take the edge off," she offered, repeating what he'd said to her the night before.

  They shared a smile.

  "I can do better than that," he promised.

  That drew some battle lines. And it was a battle. Or rather, it was about to be.

  Lexie reached for him.

  He reached for her.

  They grappled for position and each other, and somehow landed on the bed and not the floor. They were starved. Desperate. But Garrett wasn't so crazed that he didn't realize his desperation, his need, was only for Lexie.

  He kissed her the way he wanted to kiss her. She tasted like everything he'd ever wanted but always been denied. Like something forbidden. Yet welcoming.

  "Should we be doing this?" he asked.

  "Yes." And she said it without a shred of hesitation.

  Good. Because he didn't want to stop.

  Obviously, neither did she. She rolled them over and landed on top. Straddling him. The soft mattress created something of a tunnel, cocooning them in the only place they wanted to be.

  With his help, her dress came off, and they sent it flying. It was the same for her bra and panties. Though Garrett had no idea why they were rushing, for some reason, speed counted. Of course, desperation could do that to two people who were about to explode if they couldn't have each other. They'd waited so long for this.

  "No use of hands this time," Lexie warned, reaching for his zipper.

  Since that seemed a little like a challenge, Garrett didn't use his hands. Lexie was there, naked, those long legs straddling him. So he adjusted his weight, flipped her over, made his way down her body and used his mouth instead of his hands. He slipped his tongue into the warm, welcoming heat of her body.

  She gasped, moaned, melted and grabbed him by the hair. Though she did manage to say, "No fair."

  Garrett didn't let up. He was enjoying himself too much, and knew for a fact that Lexie was, too.

  And then everything got even crazier.

  She hooked her legs under his arms and flipped him over, breaking the intimate contact. That didn't last long. She backed him against the headboard. Actually, she body slammed him, and with the expression of a warrior, went after his zipper again.

  "We're doing this together, understand?" she asked.

  Garrett knew it wasn't really a question when she downed his zipper and took him into her hand. She wasn't gentle. But then, he wasn't exactly in the mood for gentle. With her, though, that was another thing. He would be gentle, since this was her first time since giving birth, but Lexie let him know that she intended to show him no such consideration.

  With that in mind, they tortured each other. There was no other word for it. Erotic torture. With her hand moving roughly over him. With her naked body pressed hard against him. Their mouths devouring each other.

  The tension built.

  The lust skyrocketed out of control.

  And Garrett knew they had to do something.

  "A condom," she said, scrambling off him and the bed to rummage through the bags.

  He almost got up and helped her. But he rather enjoyed the view of a frantic, naked Lexie tossing clothes and other items from the bag. Plus he needed the momentary reprieve. He figured he was going to need every ounce of willpower and stamina to make this more than a quickie. He didn't mind quickies. But he wanted this to be memorable for Lexie.

  It was already memorable for him.

  Because he knew he would take her. On this bed. Right here, right now. He would fill her, sweep her to the edge. And over it. But it wouldn't stop the desperate need he had for her. It would only serve as a reminder that no other woman could take her place.

  "Got it," she announced.

  She tore at the wrapper as she made her way back to him. However, when she got to his legs she stopped and looked at him. "Those jeans are coming off—now."

  * * *

  LEXIE TRIED TO BE QUIET because she was well aware that her infant daughter lay sleeping on the other side of the room. Lexie was also aware that she was finally about to do something she'd wanted to for days—have her way with Garrett O'Malley.

  Of course, the downside was that he would have his way with her. Except that wasn't really a downside. She'd already been on the receiving end of his edge-soothing ways, and she wanted more.

  She wanted all of him.

  Lexie fought with his jeans. It was worth the struggle when she got him naked. Part of her, the lust-crazed part, wanted to jump him here and now. No preliminaries. Definitely no wait. But she took a moment to savor the view.

  Simply put, he was hot.

  He was hot in jeans and a shirt. And he was especially hot naked and aroused.

  Their eyes met, and despite the firestorm inside them, she made her way back up his body so he could kiss her. He was good at that, too. Aggressive but not smothering. He made her feel as if she was the most desirable woman on earth.

  The slow, burning kiss fueled the fire. Too much. And Lexie found herself hurrying again to get the condom out of its wrapper.

  Garrett slowed her hands a little by helping, but she made certain that she tortured him when she put on the condom. Of course, his torture soon became hers. After all, she was straddling a hot, aroused man whom she wanted more than her next breath.

  So Lexie took him.

  An inch at a time. Testing her own body. And realizing that the fit was a little tighter than she'd expected. It was also better, and that was saying something, because she'd expected the best.

  "Are you okay?" Garrett asked, pausing. Probably so he could make sure she wasn't uncomfortable.

  She wasn't—not from the fit, anyway, but from the unfulfilled need already clawing inside her.

  Lexie moved, taking him farther into her body. Sliding against him. Urging him deeper.

  Garrett added his spin to things. He grasped her hips, guiding her, creating the rhythm that both of them needed.

  Mercy, did they need it.

  So she let the need drive her. She moved faster, sliding against that hard heat.

  Taking.

  Giving.

  Until neither could take or give any more.

  She moved against him one last time. It worked. He arched his hips and gave her exactly what she was looking for—Garrett.

  * * *

  IT TOOK LEXIE several minutes to come back to reality. She listened for sounds in the room, but the only thing she heard was Garrett's and her rasping breaths. Thankfully, their baby had slept through the firestorm.

  Lexie leaned forward, located his mouth and kissed him. "You're better in bed than you are on a coffee table. I didn't think that was possible."

  "We're better in bed," he corrected. "Unfortunately, if you're interested in an immediate round two, I don't think I can move."

  "Then don't. Round two can wait, and we can stay naked." Because Lexie feared she was temporarily paralyzed from the exertion.

  "You say that now, but you'll want to be clothed when the baby wakes up."

  Lexie grumbled in agreement, because he was right. And they forced themselves to get off the bed and dress.

  "I'm glad my out-of-shape body didn't disgust you," she commented when she noticed the tummy bulge that rested on the top of her panties. Obviously, one of the side effects of the pregnancy.

  Though he was still dressing, he took a moment to look at her stomach. "You have a great body. A woman's body. A very desirable body." He hooked an arm around her, kissed her. "I'll let you in on a little secret—I haven't lusted after a sixteen-year-old girl's body since I was a sixteen-year-old guy. It's your body that I want."

  Fully clothed, fully sated and fully exhausted, they got back in bed. And
she soon learned that Garrett was a bona fide spooner. She smiled sleepily, pleased at the information. In fact, Lexie was pleased about a lot of things happening in her life.

  Of course, there were two big question marks: catching the person responsible for the kidnapping, and figuring out how they could make this whole family issue work. Both were daunting.

  Answers would have to wait until tomorrow.

  Lexie couldn't stop her eyelids from drifting closed. She snuggled against Garrett, his scent and warmth surrounding her. Embracing her. She was about to surrender totally to the fatigue and sleep when she heard a sound.

  Garrett must have heard the noise as well, because he snapped to a sitting position and reached for his gun. Lexie got her own gun, eased off the bed and hurried to the baby. She didn't pick her up for fear of waking her and having her cry. It was probably best to stay quiet until they knew what they were up against.

  A terrifying thought.

  They waited, the silence settling in around them. Until they heard the sound again.

  Footsteps.

  Someone was in the house.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Garrett hoped like the devil that their visitor was the police office assigned to guard them. Maybe the guy was in search of a midnight snack or something. But if so, he would no doubt have alerted them that he was coming inside.

  So that meant Kent could have made bail and come after them. Or any of the suspects the police had released from custody.

  Garrett hurried to the bedroom door and locked it. A simple lock wouldn't be much of a barrier for someone who truly wanted to get inside the room, he knew. Though the only illumination was the moonlight filtering through the blinds, he had no trouble seeing Lexie. She was there. Waiting. Her left hand flattened over her chest, her gun in her right hand.

  He motioned for her to take the baby into the closet. Keeping the infant in the bassinet, she rolled it there. When it wouldn't fit, she pushed the bassinet behind the closed closet door and stood in front of their baby. Protecting her.

  Garrett only hoped that kind of protection wouldn't be necessary.

  The footsteps continued. Whispers, too. The sounds were coming from the hall outside their bedroom door now, and he could tell there was more than one person out there. His best guess was three. Maybe four.